When I went to my local cinema the other day, I had that baffled look of an old-timer who doesn't get out much. I had been asked if I wanted to become a "monthly subscriber".

I'm used to the idea of paying out each month to watch movies and sport on cable TV, but I've never really thought about subscribing to a cinema. But the chain, UGC, has a deal where you can pay £9.99 per month and then watch as many films as you like. If you want to include screens in London's West End, it's £12.99.

This isn't a new concept. But it's another example of the burgeoning "subscription culture".

Take a look at your bank statement. It wasn't that long ago that we paid quarterly bills for what we'd consumed. Now it's more likely to be a long list of fixed deductions, covering everything from gas, electricity, cable television, internet, insurance, telephones and the gym. According to the Association of Payment Clearing Services, we've set up 2.3bn direct debits between us, with typical account holders having 10 direct debits each.

Perhaps the only surprise is that the number is so low. Because once these payments are set up, they're seductively easy to forget. And taken in isolation, they can seem deceptively inexpensive.

Every time you set up a new service or change provider, you'll be under pressure to pay monthly.

For example, if you change energy supplier, you'll be given a financial incentive to pay by direct debit, probably set for a flat rate estimated on annual consumption.

Powergen will give you a discount of £21 per year. This reflects the money saved on processing bills and the advantages of a regular, predictable income. It is also moving towards the type of fixed fee, "unmetered" deal that you might usually associate with internet providers.

For elderly customers, there's a gas and electricity service where a fixed rate is agreed in advance, depending on the size of house and location, without any subsequent check on consumption.

Mobile phones have been a great driver, including fixed rates for pre-set call allowances. According to Apacs, mobile phone services are expected to generate over a billion more direct debits in the next few years.

Another mass-market service that has broken us into the subscription payments concept, has been satellite and cable television. BSkyB has more than seven million customers -and is aiming for an average annual yield of £400 per customer.

There has also been a cross-over from television into the phone market. Cable company NTL offers a Talk Unlimited phone deal, where customers pay £25 a month, including line rental, regardless of use (for UK calls).

Even car dealers are going the same route. Alphabet, part of the BMW group, will provide companies with new cars for a fixed rate, beginning from around £40 per month. At the end of a set time, typically two years, there is the option to pay the balance and buy the car, or to hand back the keys.

As with the phone deals, the selling point is the convenience and clarity of a fixed payment taken like some kind of taxation directly from your income. But are consumers benefiting? With the old-style quarterly bills, it meant paying for services we could have used three months before, in a form of extended credit.

With fixed monthly payments, there's no such leisurely pace and in some subscription deals, we're paying up-front for services we haven't so far used.

For fuel bills, it can mean that for much of the year we're in credit and effectively offering a free loan to the company.

Paying each month can also sugar the pill of how much a service costs. If you were given your mobile bill or cable subscription every three months, it might suddenly seem very expensive.

Another value-for-money question is what has been described as "gymeconomics", where we pretend to ourselves that we're saving money because we're going to use a service so often.

With an "unlimited" cinema deal, only a few trips would see a return on the £9.99 a month. But a movies and family pack with Sky will cost £33 for 12 movie channels and hundreds of movies each week.

These are the balancing acts. Pay-as-you-go or a fixed rate? Cheque in the post or sign up and forget about it? Maybe the switch to the latter could explain why there's no money in my account the day after pay day.